Today we release iCaching 5.1.2 in the Mac App store.
Especially on Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) there were several flaws that are fixed in this version. Apart from the fixes we also added some nice improvements.

Improved:
– Multiple logs for the same possible in Log Window
– Can load field notes from Looking4Cache
– Last open Geocache is persisted between application runs
– Hint button hidden when no hint available

Fixed:
– Fixed several issues in Mavericks (window layout, enabling menu items)
– Loading user logs only on application start, not every 5 minutes
– Saving GCVote password did not work
– All waypoints had the same icon in the Waypoints tab
– Several other little annoyances and small performance improvements

While waiting for the approval of iCaching 5.0.5 with bug fixes for the export bug and crash on sorting on coordinate, we fixed a lot of other issues. Because it will take a little while before those fixes can be in the App Store because of the (way too long) approval period Apple takes, I make this update available again for direct download from here:

This morning we could finally release version 5.0! The update is available in the app store.
Explore the new features like the location picker to insert coordinates, the photos tab and the improved performance.
Happy caching!

WARNING!

There are some reports coming in about databases that are not correctly converted to version 5.0. We’re researching the issue.

Fortunately there is a backup of your original database. It is located in the same folder as the database and its name ends on .iCaching_DataModel 5.0. The database is located on a somewhat hidden location. Instructions to reach that location: http://www.icaching.eu/support/#toggle-id-4
If the conversion fails on your machine, I’d really like to have a copy of the backup to find out what went wrong. Please mail it using weTransfer.com to info at icaching dot eu

Two weeks ago we could send out the first public beta of iCaching 5.0 and last week the second beta. Eventually, version 5.0 brought much more code changed than initially intended, so it took much more time than expected to finish it.

But with this version we have a good foundation for the future. Apart from some (big) new features (as mentioned in previous blog posts) the overall performance and under-the-hood logic of iCaching is vastly improved. Thanks to these changes it will be easier to add new functionality in the near future.

For now, we need some time ironing out the last bugs, finishing translations and help files. But we’re finally heading towards this long awaited release. A little patience please….

http://icaching.eu/wp-content/uploads/LogoWebSite200x100.jpg00mariusdereushttp://icaching.eu/wp-content/uploads/LogoWebSite200x100.jpgmariusdereus2015-09-03 19:27:422015-09-03 19:42:00Version 5.0 Public Beta is out

Just pressed the submit button for version 4.97.7. A small update which fixes some little bugs reported by customers.
Also added some small improvements. The most important one: in addition to the existing cmd-backspace keystroke (like in Finder), you can delete a cache from the list with just delete or backspace alone.
So when Apple has reviewed this version, it will appear in the App Store.
And in the meantime we continue work on version 5.0 which is nearing completion.

http://icaching.eu/wp-content/uploads/LogoWebSite200x100.jpg00mariusdereushttp://icaching.eu/wp-content/uploads/LogoWebSite200x100.jpgmariusdereus2015-04-24 12:43:392015-04-24 12:43:39A small update on it's way

On March 16, Groundspeak has changed some API limits without notice to developers. Unfortunately this breaks some functionality in iCaching. Loading your last logs, or logs for caches now returns an error message instead of logs.

The major features I planned for version 5.0 were a Yosemite look and feel, a geocache images tab and a location picker (to choose a location for corrected coordinates, API searches and home locations. See screenshot).

To implement these features I had to make major refactorings in the existing code. For example, for the location picker I needed the Apple Maps API, which is only available for Mavericks and higher (so that will be the minimum OS for version 5.0). That made it possible to replace a lot of legacy code by more modern APIs Apple is providing. Or another example; to add the photos, I need to do a database version migration. That provided the opportunity to make the data model more efficient (loading at startup with big databases!), and prepare for new properties (user waypoints). The extra work involved was to create a migration process from the old to the new version, keeping your old data work in the new version.

These refactorings make the groundwork of the application more stable, faster and better maintainable. But they cost a lot (yes, I mean a lot!) of time. And in the meantime there is still some maintenance work on version 4.x…

To make this version ship in a not too distant future, I will cut some of the planned features (probably photos too) for the first 5.x version. But a lot of groundwork has been done, so those extra features can be added soon after the first release.

Public beta

All these changes in the foundation of the application, might introduce new issues, and that’s not what you and I want. Therefore I want to do thorough tests upfront. I also want to do a public beta within a few weeks (just like Apple does
these days).
If you want to participate, please send a mail (using the contact tab on this site) and mention ‘Public beta’ in the subject field. But keep in mind that the first beta will not work with your current database, and the final version will probably not be able to use the data from the beta version too. The main goal of the beta is to gather feedback and find bugs, not (only) to make you enjoy ‘the latest greatest’.

http://icaching.eu/wp-content/uploads/LogoWebSite200x100.jpg00mariusdereushttp://icaching.eu/wp-content/uploads/LogoWebSite200x100.jpgmariusdereus2015-03-16 19:00:252015-03-14 10:52:56How about that version 5.0 you're talking about?